Hating Alison Ashley
by kensi54382
Summary: Just a continuation from the end of the movie, after the students have returned from camp. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Alison waved goodbye to Erica and thanked Lennie for picking her up after camp and dropping her off at home that evening, then thanked Mrs Yurken for letting her stay over.

"Anytime," said Mrs Yurken with a smile. "It was lovely to have you over."

"Maybe, next time, Erica can come over here?" asked Alison.

"Sure. Just let us know so we can drop her off."

"I will. Thank you again." Alison waved again and then headed inside her house.

* * *

"You're home are you?" asked Mrs Ashley disgustedly.

"Yes I am," said Alison as nicely as she could. She was angry still.

"I can't believe you spent the night in a dump!"

"It's not a dump! That house may not be as nice as ours, but at least it's filled with warmth and love. At least those kids know their mother loves them!"

"Excuse me? At least you have a roof over your head, unlike what would have happened if I didn't take you with me."

"I would have been better off with dad!"

"He doesn't love you. Why do you think you never see him? He doesn't want you."

"Funny, because it feels like you're the one that doesn't want me!"

"How dare you say that?!" Mrs Ashley walked over and slapped Alison's face, hard. "Go to your room!"

Alison ran up the stairs, slamming her door behind her. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she grabbed her jacket and climbed through her window. She was down on the ground a moment later, still crying, and ran off. She didn't look back, not even when one of her neighbours called out to her.

* * *

The air was already cold outside, and it just got colder as the night went on. Alison was freezing as she looked around for a street sign or a building that she recognised. But there was nothing there. Nothing at all. She was lost in a place she had only just moved to a couple of weeks ago. It was late and there was no-one around, not that she'd ask someone out here for directions anyway.

"Damn it!" shouted Alison as she finally admitted to herself that she was lost.

Her words echoed in the dark, empty night as Alison continued to walk around, looking for her way home. However, after another hour, Alison was too tired to continue and she sat down on the ground, hugging herself to keep warm.

* * *

Morning came slowly but when it finally did and the sun came out, Alison stood up to try and get home, or at least to school where someone could take her home. She barely made it a block before she stopped to sit against a fence and catch her breath, passing out a moment later.

* * *

Erica smiled as she entered the school grounds. Ever since camp, people had started talking to her, instead of teasing her. She knew it had to do with Alison being so nice to her once she had made friends, and Erica really wanted to thank her for that. She couldn't wait to see her new friend that morning.

When Erica sat down though, Alison was nowhere to be seen. She knew her friend was okay, since they had talked the day before, so she was a little worried. She was even more worried when Miss Belmont walked in and Alison still hadn't arrived.

"Class, pay attention. I wanted to say, despite all the pranks at camp, you really did what we asked of you. You were good at working together, even if you were being very naughty and sometimes dangerous towards Mr Kennard. The play was wonderful, even with all the setbacks and problems. Erica, well done for creating such a great play. Barry and Alison…" Miss Belmont looked up. "Where is Alison?"

No-one answered. They all looked to the back of the room, at the empty seat next to Erica. Alison still hadn't turned up.

"Erica, where is Alison?"

"I don't know. She was okay yesterday."

"Nobody has spoken to Alison this morning?"

Everybody shook their heads. Miss Belmont looked a little worried, but she continued on as if Alison being absent was completely normal.

"Barry, well done on being the male lead. You were very convincing. Everyone did a wonderful job, and for your efforts, everyone is receiving an award this morning." Miss Belmont picked up a pile of papers and handed them out. "Very well done."

An hour later, the class was dismissed for recess, and Miss Belmont called Erica up to her desk. "When did you speak to Alison last?"

"Yesterday afternoon, when we dropped her off at home."

"You didn't talk to her at all today?"

"No. And it's not like Alison to just take a day off. Something has to be wrong."

"I agree. I'm going to call her mother, maybe I can find out where she is."

"Her mother works nights, and sleeps during the day, so good luck getting her on the phone."

"Oh, I'll get her. After all, she owes me an apology for being so rude on the phone three days ago."

Erica nodded, wisely choosing to not say anything about that. She walked out of the room as Miss Belmont put in a phone call to Alison's mother.

* * *

"Jeff, did Alison turn up to PE today?" asked Miss Belmont after school had finished for the day.

"No. She knew we were playing basketball today, and I have never seen her shy away from that sport before. Why?" asked Mr Kennard.

"Because she didn't come to school today and her mother apparently doesn't care enough to know where her daughter is. I was hoping she had just turned up late."

"That's not a good thing. Did Erica know anything about Alison's whereabouts?"

"No. I thought that was strange since they seem to have become good friends on camp. She did say that they were together yesterday, so I am a little worried."

Mr Kennard nodded, feeling worried too. "Maybe we need to call the police. They have the resources to search for a missing fourteen year old."

"I was going to do just that after I checked to see if she had been late," sighed Miss Belmont. She picked up the staff room phone and dialled 000. "Police please… Hi, I'm Nigella Belmont, a teacher at Barringa East High School. I need to talk to someone about a student that didn't turn up today and hasn't been seen since about six pm last night…. No, it's not normal for her, she's a perfect student…. Thank you, yes, I'll be here."

After the phone had been hung up, Mr Kennard spoke. "What did they say? It sounded like you were trying to get them to believe you."

"They know of Barringa's reputation. They thought I was overreacting."

"But you aren't. There's no way Alison would just disappear."

"I know that, you know that, but they don't. And I guess I understand their point of view. I would probably think it too if I was them."

"Yeah, me too." Mr Kennard sighed and turned to the window. "We should call the other teachers that Alison has. They could help us show the police how much of a good student Alison actually is."

"Maybe tomorrow. They're going to want to probably talk to Erica and her family since they were the last to see her."

"Not if we can help it. Erica's fourteen, much too young for them to ask her any questions."

Miss Belmont nodded her response, feeling the same protectiveness towards the students.

* * *

Erica was crying as she walked home that night. Jedda had been home sick that day, so she was alone. She couldn't stop thinking that she may have lost the only true friend she had ever had. She knew something was wrong, Alison was too much of a good student to skip school for no reason. And surely she would have sent a message or something to tell Erica if she'd been accepted into Kyle Grammar and wouldn't be returning to Barringa East. In fact, if that was what was happening, the school and the teachers would have already known and not been worried. As Erica continued to walk home, thinking about what could have possibly happened to Alison, she heard a small moan. With everything that happened in this neighbourhood, moans were common, but something said that this one was different, one that should be checked out.

Erica turned her head towards the sound and was surprised to see a familiar figure half hidden by the brick fence behind them. It was the golden hair billowing out onto the ground that made Erica run over.

"Alison! Alison!" Erica dropped next to her friend and shook her. "Alison, open your eyes!"

Alison stirred slightly, opening her eyes just enough to see Erica's face. It swam in her vision before she blacked out again.

"No! Alison, wake up!" shouted Erica before she stood up to find help. There was nobody else around yet, at least not outside. "Alison, I'll be right back, I promise."

Erica ran in the direction of her house, glad that Lennie had the day off.

* * *

The police walked into Barringa East's staff room, finding Miss Belmont and Mr Kennard sitting there, waiting. Fresh coffee was on the table between them, but it hadn't been touched yet.

"Nigella Belmont?" asked one officer.

Miss Belmont looked up. "Thank you for coming."

"You said you were concerned about a student?"

"Her name is Alison Ashley. She's new to the school, new to town I think, but she is a model student. She hasn't missed a day since she came here about three weeks ago. Something isn't right."

"Did you call home? Maybe she's sick."

"She's not home. Her mother doesn't even seem to care that she's been missing all day."

"What about other family? Or friends?"

"She doesn't really have any friends yet. Except one girl, but she's fourteen. And as for family, her father lives in LA. She doesn't have anyone else that we know of."

"What's the friend's name?"

Miss Belmont looked at Mr Kennard. "Erica Yurken. But you'll need to get her parent's permission before you can talk to her."

"That's fine. Who was the last person to see Miss Ashley?"

"As far as anyone knows, Erica and her mother and stepfather. They dropped her off yesterday at about five thirty at home."

"What's Alison's home life like?"

"Not sure. She doesn't talk about it. I do know her mother can be pretty horrible. I spoke to her this morning and three days ago while we were at camp, and both times she was very rude."

The officer nodded. "What's the address?"

Mr Kennard handed over a piece of paper that he had scribbled the address on, anticipating the question. After the police had left, he grabbed the phone and called Erica's home, but no-one seemed to be home.

* * *

Lennie looked up when Erica came running in, screaming for help.

"What happened?" he asked.

"It's Alison. She didn't come to school today, and everyone knew something was wrong. I found her Lennie, and something's wrong. She won't stay awake. She's still wearing the clothes she had on yesterday. Even on camp, she didn't wear the same thing. Something is really wrong."

Lennie grabbed his phone. "Come on, let's go."

Erica led him to the corner of the street she had found Alison on. Her friend was still there. Lennie bent down next to Alison, checking her for a pulse. Then he called for an ambulance.

* * *

Alison was still unconscious when she was brought into the hospital. Erica and Lennie were right behind her, but they hadn't been able to give the paramedics much information. The police had been called and were on the way to the hospital right then. They had put in a phone call to Alison's father in Los Angeles, asking him to come to Melbourne to be with his daughter, though they hadn't needed to persuade him. He was constantly worried about her.

A doctor came out and took Alison into a room, working quickly to check her out and figure out what was wrong with her. It didn't take the doctor long, and she was back out in the waiting room to find Alison's family.

"The only family she has in Melbourne is her mother, and she isn't here," said Lennie.

"Who came in with her then?"

"We did. Erica and Alison are friends."

"Then I guess I'll have to tell you. Maybe you can pass this on to her mother. Alison is suffering from dehydration, hypothermia and shock. It'll take her a couple of days to recover."

"Is she conscious?"

"Yes. I left her sleeping, but she's been sedated to help speed along her recovery. You won't be able to see her until at least tomorrow morning. And I'd like her family to be here."

"Her mother doesn't care about her," said Erica angrily.

"Erica," said Lennie. "I'll try to get her mother here."

"Thank you," replied the doctor. "If you can't, then you'll have to speak to the police and Child Services. It's in their hands for now." She looked to Erica. "Was Alison in a fight?"

"No. I doubt Alison has a mean bone in her body. Unless it's provoked, she doesn't fight back. Why?"

"She has a very evident handprint on her cheek. Any idea how that happened?"

Erica shook her head. Lennie, however, thought he might know, but wasn't going to say it in front of Erica, or anyone else for that matter. He'd tell his suspicions to the police and let them deal with it.

* * *

The two officers that had spoken to the teachers at Barringa East High, Donovan and Bear, arrived at the hospital about half an hour after Alison. They quickly spoke to the doctor, who pointed out Erica and Lennie in the waiting room, then they headed over.

"Excuse me Miss Yurken, I'm Officer Bear, and I need to talk to you about your friend Alison. Is that okay?"

Erica nodded, though she was slightly scared of them. She moved closer to Lennie before speaking.

"What do you want to know?" she asked shyly.

"You were the last person to see Alison yesterday?"

"No, her mother was. My mum and Lennie and I dropped Alison at home last night."

"How was Alison when you left her?"

"She was happy. But she also looked nervous. Three days ago, our last day at camp, Alison called her mother to say she was staying at my house when we got home from camp, and they argued."

"Do you know what it was about?"

"Me. Her mother doesn't want us to be friends."

"Do you know why?"

"I'm from Barringa East High, is it that hard to figure out?"

"Fair enough. You seem nice enough though."

"I'm not like the others. If we had money, my mum wanted to send me to Kyle Grammar. But we can't afford it."

"If Alison is also at Barringa East, what's the problem?"

"She's only there for this term, then she's meant to go to Kyle Grammar. Her mother wants her to be friends with people that are rich and pretty."

Officer Bear nodded. "What does Alison want?"

"She wants to be friends. I can't blame her for wanting to go to Kyle Grammar, if I were her, I would. But there's nothing wrong with being friends with someone less fortunate than you."

"Of course not. Okay, thank you for helping us. We'll need to talk to Alison when she's awake, do you think you could tell her that?"

Erica nodded.

"Thank you." The officer stood up and walked away to make a call while Officer Donovan finished speaking to Lennie.

"Thank you for telling me your suspicions Mr Grubb. I'll let Child Services know." Officer Donovan stood too. "You both have been very helpful."


	2. Chapter 2

Alison awoke and looked around in confusion. As her surroundings became focused, she remembered she was in the hospital. She remembered seeing a young woman and remembered a needle piercing her skin, but everything after that was blank. She felt rested though, and she hadn't felt that rested since the day before camp. When she looked around again, Alison noticed she was alone, but someone was outside the door, and the same woman was there. She opened her mouth to call, but she was too tired to do that, so she closed her eyes again.

* * *

Alison's father, James, walked into the hospital, looking for someone to help him. He finally found a nurse that was able to tell him the room Alison was in.

"Thank you," he said in relief.

James found his daughter's room five minutes later. He noticed that a doctor was outside the room talking to two police officers, and it worried him.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for my daughter, Alison. Could you tell me where I can find her?"

"What's your daughter's last name?" asked Officer Bear.

"Ashley."

"Do you have any ID on you that proves Miss Ashley is your daughter?"

"What the hell do I need to prove that for?"

"Sorry sir, I understand you're angry, but she is under police protection right now."

"Protection from what?" James asked as he handed his licence and a photo of him and Alison together to the police.

"At this point, we don't have a suspect, but she was found on the side of the road, unconscious and unresponsive, with a handprint bruise on her face. Children's Services is looking into Miss Ashley's mother right now."

"That bitch! Excuse my language. I knew something like this would happen, but because I wanted to move to LA, I couldn't have custody of my little girl. She's fourteen!"

"Has this happened before?"

"No, but it's come close a few times. The police never took it seriously because Alison was too scared to tell them what had happened."

Officer Bear nodded. "We'll look into those incidents too. Did you make reports?"

"Yes."

"With which station?"

"Hampton Park."

"Okay. I'll see what I can do. Meanwhile, since you are the only family that has turned up, you can go in and see your daughter if the doctor says it's okay."

"Who's her doctor?"

"Me. Doctor Smith. You can go in Mr Ashley."

"Thank you Doctor." James took his ID and picture back and then went into the room where his daughter was still asleep.

* * *

Alison woke up for the second time that morning when she felt something touch her hand. She looked up in surprise when she saw who was sitting next to the bed.

"Dad?"

"Ali, honey, thank god you're alright! I was so terrified the whole flight to Melbourne Airport. Honey, what happened?"

"Nothing," she said automatically, though she knew she could trust her dad.

"The police are outside the door sweetie. Telling them 'nothing' isn't going to satisfy them."

"I'm fourteen, I don't have to talk to them, do I?"

"Not if you don't want to baby, I'll make sure of it."

"Are you going to stay now daddy?"

James smiled. She always knew how to get what she wanted with him. "Not for long sweetheart, sorry. When you go home, I have to fly back to LA, but I promise that I'll be back, and if you want to come with me, I'll see what I can do about getting you there."

"Oh. That means I won't get to see you again. Mum will never let me go to LA, and she won't let you come and visit."

"We'll soon see about that."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing sweetheart. You just rest while I get the doctor to come and check you."

"Come back."

"I will." James walked to the door and stuck his head out. When he pulled his head back in, he left the door open and the woman from earlier came in. "Honey, this is Doctor Smith."

"Hi Alison. Do you remember me from yesterday?" asked the doctor.

"Yes. I didn't know you were a doctor though."

"That's okay. We didn't really have a chance to talk yesterday. How are you feeling?" she asked as she put on her stethoscope.

"Tired, I guess. And a little cold."

"I'll get you a blanket if you want. Take a couple of deep breaths for me."

Alison breathed in deeply and shuddered. "That hurt," she said in a whisper as tears sprung to her eyes.

Doctor Smith took away her stethoscope and helped Alison sit up. "How bad is it?"

"It feels so cold and it hurts my chest."

"You do have mild hypothermia, which is why it's painful. I can give you something for the pain, but it'll make you fall asleep."

"I don't care, I just want the pain to go away."

The doctor nodded her understanding. She pulled out a syringe and a few minutes later, Alison was sound asleep again, this time clinging to James' hand.

"How bad is it?" asked James once his daughter was sleeping peacefully.

"It's actually quite normal to have chest pain when breathing deeply while suffering from hypothermia. Her body's very cold, even though it seems odd," answered Dr Smith as she put a second, warmer blanket over Alison. "And it probably hurts her more since she's still very young and her body is starting to develop."

"She'll be okay, though?"

"Of course. Last night, we kept her underneath warming blankets to speed up her recovery. I'd say by tomorrow she'll be fine, but I don't want to let her go home yet, at least until she's completely healed."

"How long will that take?"

"Maybe another day or two, not long. As for going home, Child Services will probably have to deal with that. I doubt they'll let her go home if that hand print is from her mother."

"When are they going to get here?"

"They shouldn't be too long. You can talk to them about getting custody of your daughter too."

James thanked the doctor and turned his attention back to Alison. She was still asleep, but he knew it wouldn't be long before she woke up, looking for him.

* * *

Three hours later, Alison woke up to find Erica in the room. She smiled a little as she sat herself up and lifted the blankets up higher.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"Hey, I am so glad that you're okay!" Erica exclaimed. "You are okay, aren't you?"

"I will be in a little while. Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Mum said I could have the day off."

"How long have you been sitting here?"

"Almost an hour. Your dad said it was okay."

"Where is my dad?"

"Outside. He's talking to someone from Children's Services."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Something to do with your mum."

"I told my dad nothing happened. I know he doesn't believe me, but they have to."

"Why are you protecting her? She's not very nice to you."

"She's my mother."

"I lied about my dad. He's alive, but he doesn't want us. I always knew that, but I just didn't want to admit it, and it hurt me. You're doing the same thing, pretending she doesn't mean what she says and does. This time, it put you in hospital. What could she do next time if you don't deal with it?"

Alison looked away. "Can you leave please? I want my dad, and just my dad." Her voice shook as she spoke.

"I didn't mean…."

"I don't care. Just go!"

Erica stood. "Sorry." She left, and a moment later, James came back in.

"Ali, what happened?"

"Nothing, I shouldn't have been so mean to her."

"You're hurting. Did you two have an argument?"

Alison nodded. "She was just trying to help."

"You can talk to her tomorrow sweetheart. For now, you need to rest so you can go home."

"Erica said you were talking to someone."

"She's from Child Services. Her name is Amber. She wants to talk to you, before the police do, okay?"

"She's going to ask me what happened."

"Yes, she will. You tell her the truth baby, I'll be right here."

"What if she tells the police? They'll take mum away."

"After what she's done to you, who cares? You need to be safe."

Alison started crying. "It was my fault. I didn't listen to her."

"It's not your fault. Even if you weren't listening, she had no right to hit you."

"I knew it was coming daddy."

"It's not your fault sweetheart, okay? It will never be your fault."

"If she's gone, and you're in LA, what happens to me?"

"I guess you'll come with me. I don't know. We can ask Amber."

"Okay. But you have to stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere," said James, cuddling her. He stood and opened the door to let Amber in.

"Hi Alison, my name is Amber. I work for Children's Services. I have some questions for you."

"I know what you want to ask."

"Okay."

"You want to know what happened."

"I do." Amber pulled a chair over to the bed, next to James. "Can you tell me?"

Alison looked at her father, and his reassuring nod gave her some strength. "She hit me because I said that it felt like she didn't want me."

"Why did you say that?"

"Because she said dad doesn't love me and never wanted me, so he went to LA."

"You know that's not true though?"

"Of course. I know my dad loves me. If he didn't, he wouldn't have come to Melbourne."

James felt the anger building up. "Honey, do you get the letters I send you?"

"No."

James turned to Amber. "Every week I send a letter to Alison, telling her how much I miss her and that I can't wait to see her again. She never replies. Now I know why. I always suspected that her mother wasn't giving the letters to Ali, I was right."

"Alison, do you ever talk to your dad?" asked Amber as she scribbled something onto a notepad.

"Sometimes, when mum is at work. I call dad and ask him to come and get me."

"Do you tell him anything about your mum?"

"Only when she yells at me. I'm always good, at home and at school, so she doesn't get upset, but it never seems to make a difference. And sometimes it's nothing I've done, she could have just had a bad day at work and she takes it out on me."

"Has she ever touched you before?"

"No."

"Has she tried to?"

Alison looked away as she nodded her head and moved closer to her dad. James moved to sit on the bed with her, putting his arm around her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Alison, how many times has she done this?"

"I don't know," whispered Alison. "Too many to count."

"Okay. Where did you go two nights ago?"

"I ran away. I know I shouldn't have, but she sent me to my room, and I was angry, so I climbed out the window. I meant to go to Erica's house, but I got lost. It was so cold and I was tired, so I sat down to rest. I don't remember what happened after that. I woke up here."

"Okay. Well then, I don't have any more questions. Do you have any for me?"

"I want to live with my dad. Can you make that happen?"

"I can try. I'm not entirely sure if I can make that work though."

Alison nodded. "I want to go home."

"The doctor is sending you home tomorrow morning. Do you have anywhere to go if you can't go home?"

"I don't think so. I don't have any family in Melbourne."

"She can come and stay with me," said someone from the doorway. Alison looked up and her eyes filled with tears. Erica was standing there, smiling. "Sorry about before Alison, I swear I didn't mean it."

"I know. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you."

"Doesn't matter. Now, are you coming to stay or not?"

"I guess so. Dad, is that okay?"

"Of course it is sweetheart," said James.

Erica grinned and gave Alison a hug. "We have so much to talk about anyway, so this will be great!"


	3. Chapter 3

Dr Smith walked into the room, giving Alison a smile. The young girl looked up expectantly at her, and it was clear that she wanted to go home. James was right there too, he had refused to leave the hospital overnight, even though he had been told he couldn't stay in the room with Alison. As soon as visiting hours started though, he was back with his daughter and it couldn't be clearer that the two were very close.

"Alright Alison, I know you're ready to go home. I am sending you home, but I want you to rest please. Tomorrow you can go back to school."

"Thank you," said Alison happily. She got up from the bed, already dressed.

"In a hurry?" laughed the doctor. "I must say, I have never met anyone so eager to get out of here."

"I want to go back to school and my new friends."

"Fair enough. Let's get you out of here then. James, you have been given permission to sign the discharge papers. I get the impression that Amber believes that you are a wonderful father despite the circumstances."

"Really?" James asked happily.

"Really. Come on, let's get the papers signed so you can go home."

Five minutes later, Amber was closing her car door for Alison, feeling bad for having to say no to her going home in her dad's rental car. He had promised to follow them to the house though, making Alison feel slightly better. She tried to chat, but Alison didn't listen, she just stared out the window at the passing scenery. Her reflection showed that she was crying, but she cheered up when Amber stopped outside the house and James walked up to the car.

"Daddy!" Alison was out of the car before Amber stopped and in her dad's arms.

"Ali, are you okay?"

"I am now." She wiped away her tears.

"I have something to tell you honey." James led Alison into the house where her mother was arguing with the police.

"There's the little bitch!" yelled Ms Ashley, storming over to her daughter.

Alison took a step back, clutching her dad's hand. She saw Amber step in front of her, saw her mother falter. A smile spread across her face when the police pulled her back, placing handcuffs on her wrists.

"Ma'am, you are under arrest for child endangerment and child abuse," said Officer Bear, and it was clear that he was disgusted by her behaviour.

Ms Ashley fought as they led her out of the house. Alison felt relieved and safe, but then realised that she didn't have a guardian anymore.

"Amber, what happens to me now?" asked Alison.

"I believe that your father has some news for you," said Amber kindly.

Alison turned to her dad. "Daddy?"

"The court granted me temporary custody until they have time to process my application."

"How long is temporary?"

"Could be a while. They didn't give me a time frame, but as long as Amber is happy for me to look after you, I'll be here."

"What about LA?"

"Silicon Valley is boring without you there, to be honest. I'd much rather live in Barringa with you."

"Your girlfriend might not like that."

"We broke up a while ago."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. If she can't understand that my daughter will always come first for me, then she's not the right person to be with."

Alison smiled. "So you really will stay with me now?"

"Yes. I am having my stuff shipped down here so I don't have to fly back."

"Thank you daddy." She hugged him tightly.

"I've been told that you were accepted into Kyle Grammar. What do you want to do?"

"I don't want to go there. I don't have any friends there."

"So you want to stay at Barringa East?"

"Yes."

James smiled. "I'm glad. I don't want you hanging around those snobs anyway. I much rather you have real friends that don't talk about you behind your back."

"You mean it? I can stay there?"

"Of course you can."

"You're the best!" She flung her arms around him again and hugged him until she was sore.

* * *

That night, Alison finally managed to feel comfortable, like she was really home. She was so glad that her dad was staying for good, and that she didn't have to leave her new friends. It was the first time since moving to Barringa Heights that she had been able to relax. Tonight, she was laying on the couch, curled into her dad while they watched a movie together. They had finished the popcorn James had made and it was getting late, but neither cared. They were happy to be with each other again.

"Ali, do you feel well enough to go to school tomorrow?" asked James when the movie was over.

"Yes. I think I've missed enough already."

"Okay. But I want you to tell me again in the morning how you're feeling."

Alison nodded. "Okay daddy."

James wrapped her in his arms. "I love you angel."

"Love you too daddy."

They watched some TV for a bit longer and then James lifted her up. "Bed time."

"Not yet," she yawned.

"Definitely bed time."

"Come with me?"

"No, I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"I promise. I have to be if you want pancakes for breakfast."

Alison smiled. She hugged her dad and headed upstairs to bed.


End file.
